Cards place 1B Berkman on DL again

The St. Louis Cardinals placed first baseman Lance Berkman on the 15-day disabled list Friday.

MLB.com reported that Berkman vows to return this season and plans to play next year. He has had problems recovering from his surgically repaired right knee since having the operation in late May.

The latest ailment is knee inflammation, which has bothered him since he was hit by a pitch from Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw on July 24.

Berkman has been playing through the discomfort since then, but his knee gave out on him during his final at-bat on Thursday. He said rest and rehab is the only way to properly allow the knee to heal.

"I have to get it strong," said Berkman, who has gone 2-for-11 since being hit by Kershaw. "It's hard to get the kind of work that you need to do and play at the same time because you have to exhaust it."

Berkman missed most of the first half of the season with a left calf strain and then the knee injury.

He has just 75 at-bats this season and is hitting only .133 in 33 at-bats since returning from surgery.

The Cardinals recalled the outfielder Shane Robinson from Class AAA Memphis, who started in center field on Friday.

Robinson hit .256 overall and 7-for-29 as a pinch-hitter in an earlier stint with the Cards.